”My First Two Thousand Years,” by George Sylvester Viereck

On Thursday April 18th, 2024 -- The Hermetic Hour with host Poke Runyon will review the new publication of "My First Two Thousand Years" (1928) by George Sylvester Viereck and Paul Eldridge. This is a controversial but literary biography of the mythical "Wandering Jew". Sylvester Viereck was a German patriot who employed Aleister Crowley to write anti-British propaganda for his newspaper during the early days of World War One. The book, "My First Two Thousand Years," was written and published in the 1920s and must be judged in the climate of that era. That said, it is still a good read. Isaac Laquedem, the Wandering Jew, chases his immortal love Salome thru the centuries. He meets Nero, Marcus Aurelius, Appolonius of Tyana and on to hobnob with Gilles de Rais, the satanic child-murderer who was Joan of Arc's general, and on into modern times where he meets Baron de Rothschild and Vladimir Lenin. This book was actually the first of a three-decker novel, the second volume was Salome's story (My First Two Thousand Years of Love) and finally: "The Invincible Adam" who was their African servant Kotikokura that they were civilizing. Each of these books tells the same story, each from their separate viewpoint, a technique which influenced the best seller The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell (1957-60) and the film series Highlander. Of course the book, or books, are very metaphoric. Isaac, or Cartiphilus to use his Roman name, is representative of the Jewish diaspora. Salome is a spokesperson for rising feminism. She is determined to conquer the curse of moon and liberate the feminine gender. Kotikokura is the third world enslaved and exploited, finally throwing off his chains but he is also based on Gilgamesh's wild man Enkidu. All considered, "My First Two Thousand Years" has a lot to offer the 21st century's thoughtful readers.